Dorothy Mills

I had never heard of this movie, but it caught my eye at Blockbuster (yes, I still rent movies from actual video stores). Don't judge a book by its cover and all that, but the teenage blonde girl staring creepily at me out the corner of her eye drew my attention. I read the synopsis on the back and saw a reviewer's comment that it was a contemporary take on 'The Exorcist'. I was sold on giving it a try.

The Setting
It is an Irish movie and it takes place on a little island off the mainland. It is shot in the same delightfully-gloomy way that many English, Scottish and Irish movies are shot. The weather is dreary and overcast, it threatens of rain almost constantly and is quite pleasing to the eye. The community is made up of extremely simple (read: creepy) church-going folks who give off a palpable 'Omigodwhatthefuckiswrongwiththesepeople' feeling. If you're expecting this feeling to dissipate, then you are going to be disappointed.

The Story
The film opens up with one of the town church services wrapping up with the priest going on about God seeing you everywhere and some such nonsense. Cut to a husband and wife walking back to their little house and the stage is set for 101 minutes of suspenseful tomfoolery. The woman enters the house and says, "Dorothy? We're back". I'll leave what happens next for you to see. Suffice to say that the psychiatrist (who is actually the film's main character) is needed promptly.

The Cast
One thing I like about foreign films is that I rarely, if ever, recognize an actor. If I have never seen a particular actor before, the more likely I am to lose myself in the story instead of just thinking about how I am watching Tom Hanks pretend to be someone else. The main character (whose name I don't know and I don't feel like checking imdb) is an uber-MILF who is almost unrealistically sexy. She also plays her role extremely well as the psychiatrist working with Dorothy. As for Dorothy, who was played by an actress in her acting debut, was played fantastically. She is creepy, adorable and you sympathize with her as much as is possible with an absolute nutter like Dorothy.

What it reminds me of
It does have a bit of an Exorcist feel to it, seeing as how Dorothy ends up saying terrible things in voices different than her own, but that is where the similarities end for me. I was expecting a horror movie that would scare me silly, but the movie is much more in the vein of the mystery/suspense genre. Sure, there are supernatural overtones that are hard to miss, but it makes you wonder more than it makes you jump.

Effectiveness
I was drawn in by it, for sure. It kept me guessing and wondering why some of the things I was seeing were the way they were. It has some twists and turns that you won't see coming, but it succeeds in making you care about the characters involved.

'Dorothy Mills' Score
65 - I was pleasantly surprised by this one. I didn't really have any pre-conceived notions about it other than it looked intriguing as I strode through the aisles. I would definitely recommend it if you are a fan of mystery chillers. Not a bad way to spend a rainy night.